Kazuma Kuwabara
Kazuma Kuwabara (桑原和真, Kuwabara Kazuma), more commonly known as Kuwabara by Yusuke, and Kurama. The only person who calls him be his first name, Kazuma, is Yukina. He is a main character in the anime series YuYu Hakusho. Kuwabara's seiyū is Shigeru Chiba. His English voice actors are Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub, Lex Lang in the Media Blasters dub, Cliff Lazenby in the US Manga Corps dub and Russell Wait in the Animax dub. He is called Alfred in the Filipino dub of the anime. Appearance Kuwabara is broad-shouldered with a defined muscular build. He is the tallest member of the team, standing at about six feet - making very tall by Japanese standards, as this is considered well above average. He has thick reddish-orange hair that is combed up into a 1950s 'punk' pompadour style. He has an angular face with narrow eyes and high cheek bones and a slender pointed nose. His overall appearance, as well as his dress sense, are likely an homage to classic Japanese 'bad boy' mythology from the 1950s. In school, he wears a light blue jump suite- in contrast with the dark blue ones worn by rest of the male students. In the anime, he wears his school uniform most of the time (in fact, for all of the first season season and half of the second.) In several episodes, it can be seen that he preemptively binds his abs with bandages, much like a classic brawler. He also occasionally dons headbands, such as his "Fighting Headband of Love" when he set out to rescue Yukina. For particularly significant battles (such as the finals in the Dark Tournament), he dresses up as a Bōsōzoku, an old-fashioned stereotypical Japanese biker thug. This outfit includes a full length white military overcoat, with his family name emblazoned on the back in kanji, white pants tucked into black jackboots, and bandages wrapped around his abs. His use of his spirit sword in this costume is likely an homage to the fact that Bōsōzoku were rumored to have wielded wooden Kendo swords. Background Kuwabara is the second-toughest kid in Sarayashiki Junior High School and is always trying to usurp Yusuke Urameshi's position as the toughest. He claims to have never lost a fight until he met Yusuke. He leads a gang consisting of himself, Kirishima, Okubo, and Sawamura (In the English dub, Komada). He has a soft spot for kittens (including his own, Eikichi) and an iron code of honor. He develops a minor crush on Botan when he first meets her, but later harbors intense feelings on the ice apparition Yukina, but is unaware that she's Hiei's sister. Kuwabara has a tough older sister named Shizuru Kuwabara. She and Yukina are the only characters known to call him by his given name. In the anime, Kazuma and Shizuru's parents never appear and are rarely, if ever, even acknowledged. His father does makes a brief appearance in the final volume of the manga to reveal that Yukina is going to be living with them and appears to be aware of the Spirit World, etc. As the show progress, Kuwabara's and Yusuke's relationship evolves from rivals to best friends, although the two still disagree constantly. Kuwabara and Kurama are quite cordial with each other, but Kuwabara shares no love for Hiei, and both will readily mention their hatred of the other, although in truth deep down they are friends. Kuwabara's most unusual ability is his sensitivity to Reiki, or Spirit Awareness, which he and his band of friends call this "the Tickle." Kuwabara has the ability to sense when ghosts and the paranormal are around, in addition to seeing spirits and other demons, and can predict the motives of others. Personality Though initially appearing as just a rival to Yusuke, it becomes clear from the start that he deeply values the connection between them forged by the many fights they got into. Though neither he or Yusuke would admit it, there is an obvious emotional bond between them, akin to brothers. He and Yusuke always address each other by their last names- furthering the link to classic Japanese youth icons. Kuwabara quickly forms an antagonistic relationship with Hiei from the onset after he insults him when they first meet. The mutual dislike continues well into the series- Hiei constantly regards him as useless and stupid while Kuwabara finds him as uncaring and snide. Despite this, Kuwabara later comments that he knows that deep down Hiei is a decent person. Conversely, Kuwabara gets along well with Kurama and the two appear to have a social friendship (Kuwabara is seen at Kurama's mother's wedding). He trains with Kurama in order to prepare for the Dark Tournament. He is often being disciplined by his sister, Shizuru Kuwabara, though it's likely that she's doing this to toughen him up. She is usually seen insulting him at times when he does poorly in a fight, and is quick to physically reprimand him if she thinks he's getting out of line. She does allow a more caring and defensive side to show, though it is only seen if she feels that his life is in real danger. He's on friendly terms with Keiko, and is willing to defend her from local thugs in Yusuke's place when he's not around. He is extremely loyal to his three friends Sawamura, Kirishima, and Okubo, even going so far as to endanger himself for their sake in one case. Kuwabara is extremely empathic to others- and often puts himself in danger to help them. Throughout the series, Kuwabara's actions are driven by a number of things. One being his personal code of honor that drives him to fight for loyalty and justice. His actions are also linked heavily to his emotions- such as when he 'fought for love' while rescuing Yukina. His emotions and bonds also drive him to become stronger, such as his love for Yukina (from which he draws the power to defeat Reisho in the Dark Tournament) and his devotion to Yusuke. It was his grief over Yusuke that pushed him over the edge and allowed him to finally access his newest ability, the Jigen Tou. He is a huge fan of the American group called Megallica (an obvious reference to the heavy metal band, Metallica) and despite his appearance, he has a soft spot for his cat Eiikichi. He briefly had an unrequited, and unreciprocated crush on Botan. Later, he appeared to instantly fall in love with Yukina- who initially had no understanding of romance. Though Yukina is unaware of his feelings throughout the majority of the series, as she is a Ice Maiden- a species that does not practice male/female relationships. She nonetheless cares for him, and expresses a great deal of concern when it comes to his safety. Towards the end of the series, it is stated that the two spend a lot of time together, with Kuwabara's father even making a brief appearance (in the manga) and inviting her to stay in the Kuwabara home upon meeting her. Synopsis Spirit Detective Saga When Yusuke tries to track down the demon Rando at Genkai's Tournament, Kuwabara shows up, saying that he had come so he can learn to control his increased Spiritual Awareness. He was largely unaware of what was going on, having only went to find a way to deal with his increased spiritual awareness. After entering in the selection process and making it through the preliminaries, Kuwabara battles against an enemy known as Musashi, in the dark, where he gains his Spirit Sword for the first time. There, he makes it to the semifinals, where he faces Shorin. Shorin reveals himself to be the demon Yusuke had been searching for, Rando, and though Kuwabara seems to have the upper hand early on, Rando is able to beat him using an incantation he stole from a psychic, which caused Kuwabara to shrink in the middle of the fight. Yusuke fights him next, but almost dies from drowning. Luckily, Kuwabara transfers his remaining spirit energy to save him, which is enough for Yusuke to vanquish Rando. When the Saint Beasts send a volley of Demon World Insects to Human World, Kuwabara tags along with Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei (both of whom are on parole), and travels to the Demon City to prevent the Saint Beasts' imminent invasion of Human World. There, to allow Yusuke to reach Suzaku in time, Kuwabara fights the Saint Beast Byakko, who absorbs Kuwabara's spirit attacks in order to become stronger. Kuwabara defeats the Saint Beast twice, one by overloading him with Spirit Energy, the other by punching the mighty beast into a lava pit. However, Byakko doesn't actually die until his teammate, Seiryu, kills him. After Yusuke defeated Suzaku, Kuwabara channeled a portion of his life energy into Yusuke to save him. Initially, when Yusuke is given a tape by Koenma for his next mission, Kuwabara refuses to go along. However, when he sees a picture of the girl they are trying to rescue, he jumps at the chance. He helps lead them to Yukina, by means of a "pinky string" that connects the two with love. Kuwabara is faced by Toguro, whom he narrowly defeats by using a Spirit Gun blast, fired by Yusuke, to propel him forward at a surprised Toguro. It is later revealed that their victory was a fluke, set up by both the Toguro brothers and Sakyo, who were using them as a means to con Yukina's captor, Gonzo Tarukane, out of his fortune. Dark Tournament Saga During the Dark Tournament (暗黒武術会, Ankoku Bujutsukai, translated as Dark Martial Arts Association), Kuwabara fights more full matches than the rest of his teammates, but loses the majority of them because of ringouts. Near the end of the Tournament, Kuwabara and Kurama are approached by Suzuki (Suzuka in the English dub), the former leader of Team Uratogi. Suzuki gives Kuwabara an item to help him in the finals against Team Toguro. This item is revealed as the Tameshi no Ken, or Trial Sword, which helps him defeat Elder Toguro. During Yusuke's battle with the Younger Toguro, Kuwabara fakes his own death, with Toguro's aid, in order to draw out Yusuke's full potential. Chapter Black Saga During the first half of the Chapter Black Storyline, Kuwabara is unable to use his powers. He suspects that, like Suzuki told him, it was a side effect from using the Trial Sword. However, Genkai knows the truth: that Kuwabara's spirit awareness is so high that his own body was aware of Sensui's plan months before it happened, and has undergone a transformation to prepare for it. Kuwabara accesses his power during the battle with Sea Man, Kiyoshi Mitarai, a human teenager who is gifted with the ability to create indestrucible monsters made of water. Kuwabara's powers awaken and he gains the power to slice through dimensional barriers with a new type of energy sword, the Jigen Tou, or Dimensional Blade. He slices through the monster and wounds Sea Man, saving himself and his friends. Out of kindess, Kuwabara also spares the life of Sea Man, causing the teenager to turn good. This powerful sword, however, is what Sensui needs to destroy the barrier blocking Demon World's strongest denizens from entering the Human World. Sensui attacks, captures Kuwabara, and plans to have another human psychic, Gourmet, eat Kuwabara and gain his power, knowing that Kuwabara would never slice the barrier willingly. However, Yusuke and team enter Sensui's lair and, after a series of ordeals, rescue their friend. Shortly afterwards, Yusuke is killed in his battle against Sensui, causing the vengeful Kuwabara to slice the barrier in order to track down Sensui and avenge his friend's death. Hiei and Kurama go with Kuwabara into Demon world, and together the three fight the powerful Sensui. Despite their best efforts, Hiei, Kurama, and Kuwabara are no match for Sensui, though he is eventually killed by a resurrected Yusuke, after he is possessed by Raizen, Yusuke's demon ancestor. Three Kings Saga Some time after the battle against Sensui is over, and the Spirit Detectives had returned to Human World, Kuwabara learns of Yusuke's plans to go back to Demon World. His first instinct is to go with his friend, but his older sister Shizuru convinces him to stay in Human World and study for an exam so that he can get into a good high school. With this coaxing, Kuwabara decides to retire from fighting permanently and focus on his academics, allowing him to live a normal life rather than continuing to fighting demons for the rest of his life. Nonetheless, he does make a brief appearance during the Demon World Tournament, in a spiritual form in Kurama's mind, cheering Yusuke's undying fighting spirit. Epilogue At the end of the series, Kuwabara is a second year high school student at the University's prep school, called Gaikou Fuzoku High School (or Gai Tech). He has numerous female admirers, although he remains faithful to Yukina. He is also studying for his college entrance exams. His power being at A-class level, it is verified by Koenma that Kuwabara is the strongest fully-human fighter on earth. Abilities High Spirit Awareness - As described by Genkai during the Chapter Black saga, Kuwabara has unparalleled spirit awareness, perhaps possessing the most potent along with his sister Shizuru, who has shown to possess similar talent in this area as well. It has yet to be said which sibling possesses greater talent in this area, but both have been shown to be extraordinarily talented in it. Though Shizuru it was never confirmed if Shizuru is able to see ghosts like Kuwabara, it is believed that she can, as she was able to view an encrypted tape that Koenma sent to Yusuke, detailing his mission to rescue Hiei's sister, Yukina. During the early part of the series, Kuwabara is stated as being able to hear and feel the presence of ghosts, but are only able to see them when asleep. Later on in the series, it is shown that Kuwabara is able to see visions of future events, such as when he was able to see the events surrounding the human fighters who were competing on the Dr. Ichigaki team, during the Dark Tournament. Superhuman Physical Strength - Kuwabara possesses raw physical strength to a superhuman degree, as seen in the Poltergeist Report movie where he defeated the demon god Majari, with a single punch after tricking the apparition into exhausting his demon energy. This was also seen during his fight with Risho in the Dark Tournament, where he took the shinobi demon's strongest blows with very little spirit energy left in his body, and was able to keep getting up. Techniques/Moves *'Spirit Sword' (霊剣, Rei Ken, Aura Sword in the Viz translation): This is Kuwabara's signature attack, where he creates a sword made of his Spirit Energy. Its strength depends on how much energy Kuwabara uses. It is first used in the Genkai Tournament when Kuwabara holds a piece of a broken sword from a special spiritually-powerful wooden sword used by Musashi, his first opponent. The broken piece helped this weapon to emerge when Kuwabara got desperate. After the tournament is over, Kuwabara does some training and learns how to manifest it at will, no longer needing the broken sword piece. Since Kuwabara is not trained as a swordsman, he lacks the grace of Hiei's sword strikes, and swings rather clumsily. :*'Spirit Sword Javelin' (伸びよ霊剣, Nobiyo Rei Ken, translates as Spirit Sword Extension; Aura Sword Extend in the Viz translation): Kuwabara's power seems to be derived from a form of materialization; the act of manifesting his energy into the shape of an object. This is a unique ability in the series, as it is seldom seen from very few characters in the series (namely Bui and Karasu of Team Toguro). After gaining full control, Kuwabara can increase the length of his sword at will. Later, after training with Kurama in preparation for the Dark Tournament, Kuwabara is able to bend and lengthen his sword at will. This attack enables him to attack his opponent from a distance (as seen in his fight with Rinku), and also act as a javelin or a pole vault in order to both leap great distances or survive falls from great heights. In the English dub, Kuwabara activates this ability by saying, "Sword get longer". :*'Double Spirit Sword' (霊剣二刀流, Rei Ken Nitōryū, translates as Spirit Sword Twin Blade; Double Aura Sword in the Viz translation): During his training before the Dark Tournament under Kurama and Hiei, Kuwabara develops this technique, where he can materialize two swords at once, one for each hand. It is used only once, when he was fighting Rinku. :*'Spirit Sword Shards' (霊手裏剣, Rei Shuriken, translates as Spirit Throwing Knives) is a technique where Kuwabara produces small bolts of energy from his hands, similar to shuriken. He uses it only twice, as it appears to consume a large amount of spirit energy (first during his fight with Elder Toguro, and once with a lengthened version in the movie "Poltergeist Report" against Majari). *'The Trial Sword' (試しの剣, Tameshi No Ken, translates as Sword of Trials; The Trial Sword in the English Dub): While preparing for the finals of the Dark Tournament, Suzuka gives him the sword handle that Shishiwakamaru used; though, Suzuka explains, it will be unique to him. With some practice, he is able to create a massive prismatic blade, of pure Spirit Energy, which also generates a unique, almost-electrical, aura that crackles around his entire body and improve both his offense and defense. :*Kuwabara is also able to make the blade change shape as well, turning it into what he calls the Spirit Flyswatter (巨大霊気棒, Kyodai Reikibō, translated as Giant Spirit Energy Light Staff), which he used to pummel and defeat Elder Toguro, who could not be killed because he could shift his vital organs around his body, in the final round of the Dark Tournament. *'Dimension Sword' (次元刀, Jigen Tō, translates as Dimension Blade): An enhanced version of Kuwabara's Spirit Sword that enables him to literally cut through dimensional barriers and psychic territory. In the manga, Kuwabara is seen using the Dimension Sword to halve distances, effectively making a shortcut in order to stop a terrorist attack on the Spirit World. Cultural References *His family name, Kuwabara, means "mulberry field". According to Chinese legend, mulberry trees cannot be struck by lightning. Saying "kuwabara" twice is supposed to ward off lightning bolts. It is also sometimes spoken as a means of warding off ghosts in Japan. *In both the Japanese and English dub versions of the anime, Kuwabara's Spirit Sword, when activated, has a similar sound effect to the lightsaber weapon of the Star Wars franchise. English version *As the movies are produced by different English companies for a U.S. release, there are a couple slight edits to Kuwabara in those versions. *When both YuYu Hakusho movies were subtitled, and then later dubbed, Kuwabara's family name was changed to Kuwahara for some reason. *In the original Japanese and English dub, Kuwabara prefers to address Yusuke as Urameshi. However, in the English dubs of the movies, he always addresses Yusuke by his given name. Category:Characters